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With Mathew Barzal watching, Seattle Thunderbirds take 3-0 series lead over Kelowna Rockets

Neate Sager

The Seattle Thunderbirds are being an advertisement for themselves. There's enough of a hook that the 'Birds, who finished 15 spots behind the Kelowna Rockets in the overall standings, have a 3-0 series lead after a triptych of overtime triumphs, the most recent coming when "no more unlikely hero" Evan Wardley, with two previous career Western Hockey League goals, scored in extra time.

The other plot element is the 'Birds are not only giving fans in Kent, Wash., some spring hockey fun for the first time in a half-decade, but are still courting of Mathew Barzal. The first overall pick in the 2012 bantam draft, who performed up to par with the Erie Otters' Connor McDavid during last summer's Allstate All-Canadian Mentorship Cup in Mississauga, Ont., was in the throng of 6,034. That doesn't mean he'll sign, but it cannot hurt, eh?

From Andrew Eide (@andyeide)

[Thunderbirds GM Russ] Farwell confirmed [during a weekend radio interview] that Barzal did practice with the T-Birds a couple of weeks ago and indicated that he thought Barzal would be attending the playoff games at the ShoWare Center this week. He also indicated that Barzal has not told the club that he does not want to play for them and finished the interview saying that both sides agreed that a decision should come before the summer's off-season.

Barzal was the number one pick overall in the Bantam draft and recently completed his midget season playing for the Vancouver North East Chiefs of the B.C. Major Midget League. He led the league in scoring with 29 goals, 74 assists for 103 points in only 34 games. Barzal attended training camp with Seattle this past fall and was very impressive and many observers felt he could have scored in the WHL at 15.

If you're into reading tea leaves these comments have to be seen as a positive sign but until Barzal actually signs anything is still possible. (ESPN 710 Seattle, March 24)

A player with Barzal's ceiling certainly should exercise the prospect's prerogative to take as long as he wants before deciding what is the best environment to develop. Convincing he and his peeps (adviser, family) to cast his lot with Seattle probably involves more than an arena that 'Birds goalie Brandon Glover called "louder tonight than the Sadledome was last year... I don't know what it is, whether the building is smaller, or fans are a little crazier in the States here or its $2 beer night, I don't know."

The serious analysis of how the 58-point 'Birds have 108-point Rockets against the ropes is better left to BTN's WHL crew. Nineteen-year-old former bantam draft first-rounder Jesse Forsberg apparently "never played this good when he was with the Prince George Cougars," in the view of Rockets broadcaster Regan Bartel. Seattle's blueline also has a top prospect in Shea Theodore, while the 'Birds have been very physical. All three wins have been in OT, so there is that randomness factor, but this can't all be luck. Luck is having light-hitting Manny Lee have a three-home run game while playing Strat-o-Matic baseball with the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet. Please address any questions, comments or concerns to btnblog@yahoo.ca.